Opinions on 2005 R53 MCS options

[AC43]

Hi All,

I'm looking to get a late (2005?) R53 MCS in the low to mid £4000's. It'll be a second car doing low miles in London with the odd commute to Bucks thrown in to give it a run.

I'd more likely use a dealer for a bit more peace of mind but if the right private one came up I'd go for that.

I've been reading various buyer's guides and reading various threads and now looking for a bit of feedback on various options/specs. In summary, though, I think my ideal car would have a Chilli Pack and a Winter Pack.

Anyway the options I am look for include;

- Pano roof (yes I know they go wrong but I really like glass up there)
- Xenons (I like to see where I'm going)
- Harmon Kardon (like my tunes)

I'm not that bothered by full leather but some people seem to advise it for resale - thoughts?

Do any of them have climate? Not that bothered but all the listings just mention a/c. Not a show stopper, just interested.

One or two seem to come with auto dipping mirrors, auto wipers and heated screen - is this part of the winter pack? (along with heated seats?)

If I want to ditch the run flats do they all come with a space saver?

The OH wants the bonnet stripes and spots - are these cheap to retro fit? I'm assuming you can get non-OEM equivalents for that sort of thing?

Thanks in advance

Edit; also fancy an armrest and factory nav - I know the latter will be a bit rubbish but 99% of the time I find it easier than faffing about with phones and cables and so on.

Edited by AC43 on Sunday 5th April 09:31

[AC43]

Bump; so am I correct in thinking that I'm looking for a car with both a Chilli pack and a Winter pack to get those options?

[0llie]

AC43 said:

Pano roof (yes I know they go wrong but I really like glass up there)
- Xenons (I like to see where I'm going)
- Harmon Kardon (like my tunes)

Definitely yes to all three of those. The HK isn't hugely essential, you can always upgrade the headunit/speakers afterwards if you wish. The HK amps are known to fail, not the cheapest fix. Panoramic roof is brilliant (love minem , Xenons are essential.

AC43 said:

I'm not that bothered by full leather but some people seem to advise it for resale - thoughts?

Personal preference, but the later leather seats always looked worn from the factory. Earlier ones are fine, but half leather is fine. Recaros are rare and are desirable (as well as heated seats as standard)

AC43 said:

Do any of them have climate? Not that bothered but all the listings just mention a/c. Not a show stopper, just interested.

Yes, climate was an option. Mine has it and the more I use it the more I prefer it over the standard A/C panel. It wasn't a hugely popular option when new, you can easily live without but it's personal preference.

Standard A/C;



Climate;

AC43 said:

One or two seem to come with auto dipping mirrors, auto wipers and heated screen - is this part of the winter pack? (along with heated seats?)

The UK didn't get a winter pack (to my knowledge). We did get a visibility pack which from memory included all the above apart from the heated seats. Both were a rare option, heated seat buttons can be found behind the gear lever where the electric mirror controls are.

AC43 said:

If I want to ditch the run flats do they all come with a space saver?

The spacesaver was an option which almost no-one specified, they all have inflation kits. You can get a retrofit kit from BMW.

AC43 said:

The OH wants the bonnet stripes and spots - are these cheap to retro fit? I'm assuming you can get non-OEM equivalents for that sort of thing?

Yes to both

AC43 said:

also fancy an armrest and factory nav - I know the latter will be a bit rubbish but 99% of the time I find it easier than faffing about with phones and cables and so on.

The factory armrest is a bit crap, it just folds under any weight. MINI do one that you can actually use as an armrest, can't remember the cost but it isn't loads.

[AC43]

Thanks Ollie, useful. I'll report back on progress

[AC43]

Update; I sat in the back of a neighbour's Cooper with a pano roof the and really liked the effect. I also found that I could easily sit behind myself which means it'll be fine for kids on the school run.

Older and/or leggy ones seem to be at the £3k mark.

£4k -£4.5k seems to get a 55 plate with reasonable miles and decent spec

I've seen one of those advertised with HK and heated screens. Will try to see it this week, work permitting.

If not I'm sure plenty more will be along shortly.

Edited by AC43 on Tuesday 14th April 11:29